State of the Union: How to Shape a Legacy in a Speech

Last night President Barack Obama delivered his final State of the Union speech. Final speeches such as this are considered legacy speeches, designed to frame a tenure for historical perspective. The president used his speech this year to talk about the strength of the economy, the responsibility of the United States to lead on combating climate change and terrorism, and on the need for Americans to embrace change and progress in an era of political uncertainty.

Did the speech strike the right tone? Has he been a good or effective president in your view? How is the country different since he took office? WDET listeners weighed in with their answers to those questions as Detroit Today host Stephen Henderson was joined by communications expert and Wayne State University professor Lee Wilkins, and Republican Rep. Mike Bishop, who represents Michigan’s 8th District.

We The People: At the end of his speech, President Obama encouraged Americans to “to speak out [and] stand up for others,” vowing to be “right there with you as a citizen.”

Eight Years: President Obama used his speech to frame his two terms in the White House. “He was trying to remind people,” Wilkins says, “this is where we were eight years ago.”

To hear more of Stephen’s analysis of the State of the Union, click the link above.

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